So, here it is, FINALLY, my Pretty Petals: the book review and Pedi Tips I promised you!
Let me start with the easier portion…the Foot Care tips. So, as promised. I perused Pinterest for foot care tips to try and tell. First of all, if you are not currently using Pinterest…you MUST begin! It’s like a digital “mood board”. I may just go on the app to look up shades of blonde to upgrade to…and then somehow stumble on to like velvet hair ribbons and crystal tiaras, and the next thing I know I look up and it has literally been three hours!!! OMG! There is EVERYTHING on Pinterest. Seriously. Stuff I’ve never heard of, stuff I don’t know HOW I even LIVED without before I knew about it, stuff that I go to bed dreaming of!!!! Yasss! Please, Petals, do me this one favor: If you don’t use Pinterest, START! If you do…carry on!
Finding Foot Care tips on Pinterest was easy enough. I even created a board called Feetsies to keep all the tips (and pictures of beautiful foot jewelry) in. The one tip that bombarded me over and over was this Listerine “soak”. I saw it in various forms: some paired the mouthwash with other ingredients, some kept the original ingredients but changed the doses, and some changed the process of the soak. No matter how it was written down, it was still the most popular and frequently re-pinned (passed around) foot care formula. So….that was the one I made a point to try out for you and for me.
I was hoping for good things. I really, really was. Sigh. Ok, let me just tell you the story. So, the Pin shows a pair of feet soaking in a blue liquid. I’m already sold. Blue water. It reminds me immediately of like sunny tropical oceans or sunny tropical drinks!! LMAO! Either way, sunny tropical pedi…here I come! I grab an old bucket and mix the concoction up: 1/4 cup Listerine and 1/4 cup vinegar and 1/2 cup warm water. The pin says you can use any kind of Listerine but they prefer the blue kind. Duh. It also does not specify the type of vinegar. So, I used apple cider vinegar. I had it on hand from a marinade I had made from scratch earlier this year. ( Side note: I am a HUGE Cook! I HEART COOKING!) Ok, so I put it all together in the bucket. Immediately, I realize that this is NOT enough liquid to “soak” anything! I put one foot into the bucket. I want to see the difference between the treated foot and the untreated foot. But the liquid barely licks at my toes! It really only covers the very bottom of my foot. Not satisfying. The Pin instructs one to soak the feet for at least 10-15 minutes. Then, the Pin promises, you will be able to take a clean cloth to your foot and just magically wipe away the dead skin!!! Sounds SO satisfying! Fifteen minutes later, I remove my foot….no dead skin in sight! I take my clean cloth and wipe…nothing…I rub….nothing…..I scrub vigorously!!….NOTHING! I run my hand over my foot…it feels tight and…DRY?!
I don’t get it! I really trusted this Pedi Potion. I don’t know why. Maybe the Listerine made me a believer. After all Listerine is one of those things that you just TRUST. Like, mouthwash, eh, yeah, everyone agrees it works, right?! But then you say “Listerine” and everyone agrees, YES, THAT works! I also felt that if this particular Pin was being re-pinned so often by so many that it MUST have some validity. Believe you me, I made a point to comment on the Pin and let people know Hey, I tried this, and it did NOT work!
After experiencing the excruciating disappointment this trial afforded me, I decided to do a little detective work and search the world wide web for more input. I wanted to know WHY people even thought that Listerine would cure dry skin to begin with! I mean, it’s a long jump from Pedicure to Mouthwash, am I right?! So, I ask Google, hey Google, why Listerine, man? What are these kids thinking, huh? And I found a site called Medical News Today. They had an article where a Zawn Villines reports on the popular Listerine Foot Soak and kinda breaks it down for us. I personally trust the information given because it IS reviewed by a medical doctor for accuracy, in this case a Dr. Debra Rose Wilson. In the article, Zawn reveals that the science behind the theory lies in Listerine’s chemical ingredient Methyl Salicylate, which is “chemically similar” to the well known skin exfoliant Salicylic Acid (often found in acne products). This is why people assumed it would have a similar effect on one’s feet, and dry skin would just satisfyingly peel or roll right off the foot! Alas, as Zawn points out, this product is targeted at a “much more sensitive” region: the mouth. Could you imagine if Listerine DID make the skin on your feet peel off??? Would you EVER use it in your poor mouth again? I mean, I have burnt the roof of my mouth many a time, and the feeling of having raw skin in one’s mouth is utterly uncomfortable! So, in hindsight, I am GLAD it did not work. But, there it is, my Darling Daffodils: The Listerine Foot Soak DOES NOT WORK!!!!
Ok, so, while the Soak does not cure dry feet, it may have benefits after all, of a different variety. For example Zawn Villines points out that Listerine is a disinfectant, and “it might help prevent” infections like athlete’s foot or toenail fungus. But be aware, it is not potent enough to CURE current infections…it merely provides a barrier against such infections, and should only be used as a precautionary aid. Zawn also points out that Methyl Salicylate is also “almost chemically identical to aspirin”, and so it may aid in pain relief in the feet. Zawn also states that the pleasant scent from the essential oils in Listerine may provide a mood lift. At this point, it is my personal opinion that a Listerine Foot Soak is just a silly, fun thing a person might do if their feet are tired and achey and they just want to “treat themselves”. It certainly does not offer the amazing dry skin relief I was so desperately seeking. So, I stand by my assessment: FAIL.
If for some insane reason, you just want to try it for yourselves (And hey, that’s ok luvs, I often go against the grain just because. So, you be you, my Petals. Even if that means going against my maternal advice to NOT waste your time with this silly, silly Soak. Mwah!), let me say a few things. First, do not do it if you have any open sores or cuts on your precious feetsies. For reals. Ok? Promise me? Ok! Good, good….that would burn on an epic scale. Moving on, if you try it, there are actually a few different “recipes”. The one I tried used vinegar, as I said before. And yes, it had it’s purpose in the concoction…vinegar is a well known disinfectant. I mean, old timey people used to wipe down their kitchens and stuff with just vinegar and water. And I think it’s regaining popularity….I have seen cleaning products on shelves that boast vinegar as a main ingredient. So there. Anyway, in the article, Zawn Villines lists some other ingredients that one may add to this Soak: Epsom Salt (soothing), Honey (antiseptic), Lemon Juice (exfoliant and antiseptic), Lavender Oil (feet smell pleasant), and even Tea (soothing)! Zawn really covers so much in the article, including even more ways to soften your feet! For all the actual Listerine Foot Soak recipes, and tons of other helpful foot care info, please visit his site really quick! It will only take a second to click the link and check it out. Go ahead, my Petals, take a peek. CLICK HERE TO VISIT THIS FOOT SOAK PAGE!
So, that concludes all my research and trials regarding my search on Pinterest for foot care tips. That was a mouthfull!…..well, maybe more like a pagefull! LOL! Anyway, I enjoyed it all. The whole process. And what did we gain from all this my Lovely Lilacs? Because, THAT is the point. What did we gain? How did we grow? Did this propel us towards our best selves??? I know that MY BEST SELF has perfect feet! YOU TOO? Well of course! Who doesn’t want PERFECT PEDIS?! So, again, what did we gain? Did this bring us one step closer to perfect feet? Yes. I think so. Johnny Cash said, “You build on failure. You use it as a stepping stone.” (Credit and Thanks to BrainyQuote.com) Now we know. We know that the Listerine Foot Soak is a bust. But we also know that we have the impressive ability to FIND THE TOOLS we need to succeed. We put SO MUCH effort into this one thing. And yeah, it sucks that it didn’t turn out the way we wished it had. But think about the effort we used to first, sort through all those Pins on Pinterest to find the right Foot Treatment to try…then, actually create the Soak and try it out…and then research and report on it. I mean, that is Dedication and Actualization. We actually did something for ourselves. We saw it through to the end. And, Yes, it was FUN! So THAT is what we gained, Pecious Petunias. We gained the confidence of knowing we really can succeed at whatever we put ourselves to. And we started. We did something. We took one step forward, reaching for our True and Best Selves. We STARTED our journey!!! Look, I am not trying to be THAT girl that’s always spouting quotes, but I MUST share, because this moment right here in time reminds me of a quote that I cut out of a magazine and taped to my TV stand so I can see it every day: “The secret of getting ahead is getting started.” -Mark Twain. Do you feel it? We are THERE my pretty, pretty petals…We have OFFICIALLY started our journey NOW. We are strong, we are smart, we perservere….we have a goal to Become….and we WILL!!!!! One step at a time. Grab my hand….let’s continue our journey!!!! Remember, we are Becoming our true selves, starting from the ground up….literally. Feet first.
P.S. I would love to share a list with you that I made. It was inspired by all my foot care research and all that. It’s just a list of Feet Do’s and Dont’s. It’s not all scientific or whatever…it’s just a collection of my thoughts and observations regarding having the perfect pair of feetsies. Look forward to me sharing that soon, ok?
P.S.S. Look out for Part Two, where I review the book we have been reading for, well, two weeks now. LoL!
Love you all, my Dazzling Daisies!!! Mwah!
Love, Princess Dandilion
Becoming Dandilion 